Scouting Out Local History:
Cub Scout Pack 104 Leads the Way
By Jon Bashor
A group of scouts from El Cerrito’s Pack 104 sets off on the Ohlone Greenway to learn about local history. Photo courtesy John Bowen
Cub Scout Pack 104 was founded more than 60 years ago and continues to provide young boys and girls with activities ranging from hikes to Pinewood Derby races to camping trips and even target sports with archery, giant slingshots and BB guns.
But when the COVID pandemic struck in 2020, John Bowen and other adults in the pack worried that Cub Scouting could also fall victim. At first, the pack held their monthly meetings via Zoom; but it was hard to keep the scouts engaged, especially since they were already spending hours on Zoom for school.
And the pack’s outdoor activities came to a complete halt. Then Bowen had an inspiration: create a hike around El Cerrito, pointing out historic sites and events. And ask the scouts to answer a series of questions as they traversed the eight-mile route.
The result was the El Cerrito Historical Trail.
“We were looking for things that the scouts could do separately from the pack, but with their families,” Bowen said. “But we also wanted it to be a shared experience. At the time, everybody was trying to get out and walk, so this made sense.”
Drawing from historical trails developed for scouts to explore places like Boston, Charleston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Annapolis and other historic cities, Bowen developed a 20-page booklet with instructions, a short history of the city, descriptions of 50 historic sites, 32 of which have a question to answer, a map and a page to record the answers. Cub Scouts who complete the trail receive a patch for their efforts.
Bowen learned about such city trial guides from The Carolina Trader, a website dealing in scouting memorabilia. The site sells the guides for $1 each – last summer Bowen said he bought the Boston guide and dragged his two sons along the route last summer, though both have graduated from Cub Scouts.
The map begins at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, passes the site of the former bowling alley, past old homes, along San Pablo Avenue city hall and eventually reaching the El Cerrito Plaza BART station (covering 3.8 miles), then winding its way back to Del Norte BART over a 4.2-mile route. Many of the stops and associated questions are based on the historic sidewalk pavers created by the El Cerrito Historical Society.
“It was a fun process for me because I didn’t grow up here and wasn’t familiar with lot of the history,” said Bowen, who is from the Philadelphia area. His sons, however, grew tired of it as he dragged them along on multiple trips to scout out the route, Bowen admits.
In all, more than 50 pack members have completed the trail (while older scouts need to complete the full eight miles to earn the patch, younger cubs can qualify if they try and live up to the Cub Scout motto: Do Your Best). The trail can be hiked in segments and can start at either BART station or any designated point in between.
The hike is more popular with the older scouts, Bowen said, with local Boy Scouts also earning their patches. Adult den leaders in the pack gave good feedback, too, Bowen said. Also, he noted, a local Girl Scout troop bought patches for their members who complete the trail.
The project also met its goal of keeping youngsters interested in Cub Scouts. While Pack 104’s membership fell to just 18 during COVID, it has since bounced back to more than 40.
Interested in hiking the trail? CLICK HERE to download the printable trail guide booklet. Want to claim your patch after completing the trail (there is a small cost)? send an email to ecpack104cm@gmail.com.